The town hall meeting was about gang violence prevention. People packed An Achievable Dream Middle and High School to be a part of it.

They wasted no time venting their frustrations to the audience and their representative, who was in town from Washington.

“It starts at home. We have to teach our kids to make good choices. We have to teach our kids that they’re important, they’re unique, they’re special and that it doesn’t matter what anybody outside the family or the community says about East End kids,” said an attendee of the meeting.

The meeting comes after recent shootings in the East End. Last month, a 77-year-old pastor was hit and wounded by a stray bullet while inside his Chestnut Avenue home.